About Photomerge

The Photomerge™ command combines several photographs into
one continuous image. For example, you can take five overlapping
photographs of a city skyline, and then merge them into a panorama.
The Photomerge command can assemble photos that are tiled horizontally
as well as vertically.

Source images (top), and completed Photomerge composition
(bottom)

Take pictures for Photomerge

Your
source photographs play a large role in panoramic compositions.
To avoid problems, follow these guidelines when taking pictures
for use with Photomerge:

Overlap images sufficiently

Images should overlap by approximately 40%. If the overlap
is less, Photomerge may not be able to automatically assemble the panorama.
However, keep in mind that the images shouldn’t overlap too much. If
images overlap by 70% or more, Photomerge may not be able to blend
the images. Try to keep the individual photos at least somewhat
distinct from each other.

Use one focal length

If you use a zoom lens, don’t change the focal length (zoom
in or out) while taking your pictures.

Keep the camera level

Although Photomerge can process slight rotations between
pictures, a tilt of more than a few degrees can result in errors
when the panorama is assembled. Using a tripod with a rotating head
helps maintain camera alignment and viewpoint.

Stay in the same position

Try not to change your position as you take a series of photographs,
so that the pictures are from the same viewpoint. Using the optical
viewfinder with the camera held close to the eye helps keep the viewpoint
consistent. Or try using a tripod to keep the camera in
the same place.

Avoid using distortion lenses

Distortion lenses can interfere with Photomerge. However,
the Auto option adjusts for images taken with fish-eye lenses.

Maintain the same exposure

Avoid using the flash in some pictures and not in others.
The blending features in Photomerge helps smooth out different exposures,
but extreme differences make alignment difficult. Some digital cameras
change exposure settings automatically as you take pictures, so
you may need to check your camera settings to be sure that all the
images have the same exposure.

Create a Photomerge composition

Choose File > Automate > Photomerge.

Under Source Files in the Photomerge dialog box, choose
one of the following from the Use menu:

Files

Generates the Photomerge composition using individual
files.

Folders

Uses
all the images stored in a folder to create the Photomerge composition.

Specify which images to use by doing one of the following:

To select image files or a folder of images,
click the Browse button and navigate to the files or folder.

To use the images currently open in Photoshop, click
Add Open Files.

To remove images from the Source File list, select
the file and click the Remove button.

Select a Layout option:

Auto

Photoshop analyzes the source images and applies either
a Perspective, Cylindrical, and Spherical layout, depending on which
produces a better photomerge.

Perspective

Creates a consistent composition by designating one of
the source images (by default, the middle image) as the reference
image. The other images are then transformed (repositioned, stretched
or skewed as necessary) so that overlapping content across layers
is matched.

Cylindrical

Reduces the “bow‑tie” distortion that can occur with the Perspective layout by displaying individual images as on an unfolded cylinder. Overlapping content across files is still matched. The reference image is placed at the center. Best suited for creating wide panoramas.

Applying Cylindrical Mapping

Spherical

Aligns and transforms the images as if they were for mapping the inside of a sphere, which simulates the experience of viewing a 360-degree panorama. If you have taken a set of images that cover 360 degrees, use this for 360 degree panoramas. You might also use Spherical to produce nice panoramic results with other file sets.

Collage

Aligns the layers and matches overlapping content and
transforms (rotate or scale) any of the source layers.

Reposition

Aligns the layers and matches overlapping content, but
does not transform (stretch or skew) any of the source layers.

Select any of the following options:

Blend Images Together

Finds the optimal borders between the images and creates seams based on those borders, and color matches the images. With Blend Images Together turned off, a simple rectangular blend is performed. This may be preferable if you intend to retouch the blending masks by hand.

Vignette Removal

Removes and performs exposure compensation in images that
have darkened edges caused by lens flaws or improper lens shading.

Geometric Distortion Correction

Compensates for barrel, pincushion, or fisheye distortion.

Content Aware Fill Transparent Areas

Seamlessly fill the transparent areas with similar image content nearby.

Click OK.

Photoshop creates one multi‑layer image from the source images, adding layer masks as needed to create optimal blending where the images overlap. You can edit the layer masks or add adjustment layers to further fine-tune the different areas of the panorama.

Create 360-degree panoramas

Combine Photomerge with 3D features to create
a 360-degree panorama. First, you stitch together the images to
create a panorama; then you use the Spherical Panorama command to
wrap the panorama so it’s continuous.

Be sure to photograph
a full circle of images with sufficient overlap. Photographing with
a pano head on a tripod helps produce better results.

Choose File > Automate > Photomerge.

In the Photomerge dialog box, add the images you want
to use.

Do not include images that cover the top (zenith) or bottom
(nadir) of the scene. You’ll add these images later.

Select Spherical for the Layout.

Note:

If you photographed with a fisheye lens,
select the Auto layout and Geometric Distortion Correction. If Photoshop
cannot automatically identify your lens, download the free Adobe
Lens Profile Creator from the Adobe website.